1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to tray tables and tray table structures. More particularly, the invention relates to a tray table which can be adjustably mounted on a portion of a vehicle for supporting various objects within the vehicle.
2. State of the Art
Tray tables for use on or within a vehicle are well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,824 to Richter discloses one tray table design which mounts on a seat within a vehicle and is collapsible. While the Richter table may be effective in use, it requires careful construction, is somewhat limited to vehicle seats having specific shapes and dimensions, requires the assembly of various moving parts, and is somewhat inconvenient to use. Moreover, although the pitch of the tray table is adjustable to maintain the top of the table in a generally lateral configuration with respect to the vehicle seats, the height of the tray table is not readily adjustable and may not be particularly suited for use with certain vehicles or certain consumers, e.g., small children.
Other known tray table designs which are specifically intended for use with a vehicle include my previous design, U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,493 which solves many of the problems noted in the prior art and provides for a vehicle mountable tray table which is securable to a door or seat of a vehicle by way of a pair of mounting brackets. My previous design also includes a dual stanchion adjustment assembly which permits the height of the tray table to be adjusted relative to the brackets.
More particularly, my previous design provides for a vehicle mountable tray table which has a pair of spaced-apart arcuate mounting brackets which releasably couple to a vehicle and an adjustment mechanism which has a pair of vertical stanchions which each extend along one of the brackets. The tray table is coupled to a pair of support arms which each slideably mount to one of the stanchions to allow for vertical adjustment of the tray table with respect to the mounting brackets. A pair of knobs operate to lock the support arms at a desired position along each of the stanchions.
While the structures taught in my previous design provide many important advantages, the present application affords several important improvements.